The Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) will be elevated to the status of a formal international organisation, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced during the visit of Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan to Sri Lanka.
Addressing the media in Colombo on Sunday, Misri said discussions with national advisors and their deputies in member countries had progressed, with the relevant agreements now concluded. A decision on the final headquarters remains pending. By consensus, the first Secretary General of the body will be an Indian national, with the appointment currently being processed.
The Colombo Security Conclave brings together India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Mauritius and Seychelles, with a focus on maritime security, counterterrorism, cyber security, transnational organised crime and humanitarian cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. Until now it has operated as an informal consultative mechanism between national security advisors.
Misri said elevating the CSC to international-organisation status would benefit all member states clustered around the Indian Ocean. The move transforms the grouping into a treaty-backed body with a permanent secretariat, placing it on a similar institutional footing to other regional security frameworks.
The announcement comes as New Delhi pushes forward a wider suite of regional initiatives during Radhakrishnan’s first bilateral visit to Colombo, including renewed urgency on the long-delayed Trincomalee oil hub and deepened economic ties.
